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Behind the scenes at the UEFA Champions League Final

On Saturday I was privileged to be hosting some key customers and partners, as a guest of UEFA's ICT team at the Champions League final in Cardiff.

Interoute is proud to be UEFA's ICT provider and we were treated to an exclusive look behind the scenes at some of the incredible technical and logistical operations that go into making the final a globally renowned event.

The UEFA team do a phenomenal job and manage much more of the operation than I'd realised. From pre cabling the TV cameras for the broadcasters, to providing digitally connected pitch side spots for the world's sports photographers. This includes ready-to-go stations for the commentators and journalists covering the game.

We were taken into one of the TV trucks located in the broadcaster compound. There we met the UEFA appointed Film Director whose job it is to direct the cameramen and select the shots that would tell the story of the match. His vantage point gave him access to over 40 cameras where he would select shots from around 15 screens in front of him. And like all the professionals we met on the day, he seemed remarkably calm given this is an event with a global TV audience in excess of 200 million viewers.

For this match they were also filming with special 8 lenses 360 degree cameras to provide a virtual reality experience of the match. The test footage looked incredible and it's not hard to imagine that in the future, millions of fans will get to enjoy UEFA finals with all the excitement and drama this immersive experience brings.

Get an insight into the stats and facts from the UEFA Champions League final weekend by reading the press release here. Learn about how UEFA work with Interoute here